even as far west as texas. trying to restore the backbone of this system. bge says there were major problems with their infrastructure because of all of these trees that came down with our strong winds and lightning. remember these wind gusts were equal to a category 1 hurricane that tore through here. and we just hope that with more severe weather possibly to come, that there's not more damage. and there's not any rollback to the progress that has already been made. reporting live in baltimore county, mike hellgren, wjz eyewitness news. >> mike, thank you. >>> from the midwest to the mid- atlantic, at least 24 deaths are being blamed on the weather. as danielle nottingham reports, people are becoming more vulnerable, the longer it takes to get back to normal. >> reporter: utility crews in virginia are battling downed trees, oppressive heat, and upset customers. >> it is a huge mess. we haven't seen any work being done yet in the neighborhood to cut up the trees. >> reporter: at this call center, customers want to know how much longer they have to sweat it